Maratha Protest Camp Removed After 1,123 Days as Quota Fight Enters New Phase

The three-year-old protest camp at Antarwali Sarati, which became synonymous with Manoj Jarange-Patil’s Maratha reservation agitation, is no more. The tent, bamboo framework and stage were dismantled after 1,123 days, days after Jarange withdrew his latest hunger strike, but key demands at the heart of the movement are still pending.

The decision to remove the structures was taken by local residents after Jarange called off his latest protest. Village sarpanch Pandurang Tarakh said the tent and stage were affecting daily activities and traffic movement, while residents wanted the area to remain open. Jarange had held 11 hunger strikes at the site between August 29, 2023, and September 25, 2026.

Jarange launched his indefinite hunger strike at the site on August 29, 2023, demanding reservation benefits for eligible Marathas through recognition as Kunbis under the OBC category. The site gained statewide prominence following the September 1, 2023 police lathi-charge and subsequently became a major centre for negotiations with successive Maharashtra governments.

The latest development follows Jarange’s 20-day hunger strike, which he called off after talks with a government delegation led by ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Dada Bhuse, MLC Prasad Lad and MLA Suresh Dhas. Jarange agreed to suspend the agitation after being given 90 days for action on his demands. He also appealed to more than one lakh supporters travelling towards Mumbai to return home, while warning that the agitation could resume if the government failed to act.

At the centre of the dispute is the demand to recognise eligible Marathas as Kunbis, enabling access to the existing 27% OBC reservation. The government has identified around 58 lakh historical Kunbi records, while genealogy committees have been extended until June 30, 2027, to verify family links. In Marathwada, Kunbi certificates issued to Marathas rose from 652 before October 2023 to around 3.1 lakh by September 2026.

Jarange has also demanded recognition of the Hyderabad, Satara, Aundh and Kolhapur Gazettes. The government says the Satara-Kolhapur records require legal examination and an Advocate General’s opinion.

Meanwhile, OBC organisations have opposed measures they fear could affect existing quota benefits. Separately, Maharashtra’s 10% Maratha reservation law of 2024 remains under judicial challenge, with a fresh three-judge Bombay High Court bench scheduled to hear the matter from October 9, 2026.

The movement traces its roots to the 58 Maratha Kranti Morcha marches of 2016-17 and the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision striking down the earlier Maratha quota. With the Antarwali Sarati camp now removed, the agitation has entered a new phase, increasingly centred on government decisions, historical records, caste certificates and court proceedings.